Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 2:5-16
Eternity – Continued
From Last Lesson: Some [victorious soldiers] would carry flasks of burning incense and the fragrance would fill the air. To the soldiers of victory the fragrance was a sweet aroma. To the soldiers of defeat who were led into captivity, however, it was the stench of death.
Paul borrowed this familiar scene and applied it spiritually to our triumph in Christ. Jesus defeated death in His resurrection and now the fragrance of victory fills the air for every believer. It is impossible to march through life with a sense of victory without faith in the Christ who has defeated death in the arena of eternity. When, however, you have settled the issue of your eternal destiny, you will be like the fellow who stayed up late one evening to watch the replay of a football game on television. Having heard earlier in the day that his favored team won the game, he sat through the replay with little emotion in spite of the fact that his team trailed by seven points through most of the game. How could he be so calm? Because he knew the final outcome of the game.
Christians may experience defeat in many arenas of life. However, for the Christian, there’s the scent of victory filling the air due to the fact that Christ has won the final battle for us. His victory assures our victory. His triumph ensures our triumph over sin, death, and eternity.
Not long ago, I read an article from a newspaper that was reposted on social media entitled, “Hawkings’ Race Against Time.” It is the story of Stephen Hawkings, author of the best-selling book A Brief History of Time. Hawkings holds a doctorate in theoretical astronomy from Cambridge University and is regarded by many as the greatest thinker of our time. His mind has been compared to that of Albert Einstein. However, at the age of seventy-six at the time of his death, Hawkings was confined to a wheelchair and paralyzed by Lou Gehrig’s disease. Unable to speak, he communicated with the assistance of a computer attached to his wheelchair.
Like Einstein who came before him, Hawkings did not believe in God who interacted with His human creation. Knowing his life expectancy was short at best, he had often said, “I always feel I’m in a race against time . . . I’ve been successful in my work. I have a beautiful family and I’ve written a best-seller. One can’t hope for much more!”
With all due respect, I must disagree with Hawkings’s conclusions about what any of us may hope for in life and death. Like him, I believe we should cram as much of life as we can in the time we have on this earth. Jesus did promise an abundant life in Him (John 10.10). But, to hope for little more than a good job, family, and best-seller is pretty depressing. Someone once said, “He who has no hope in the future has no hold on today!” This is why the Christian gospel is so exhilarating. With the apostle Paul, we may boldly declare, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ” in the arena of eternity. In Christ, abundant life, everlasting life, is an eternal reality.
God is a God of triumph and victory. More than anything else, He wants each of us to experience His victory in the arena of our relationships in life, choices through life, and destiny at the end of life. Celebrate life’s arenas of victory. The battle has already been won in Christ!
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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